Constitutional Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) entering the courtroom for the preliminary hearing of the judicial review of Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections, Tuesday (9/20/2022). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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Tuesday, September 20, 2022 | 15:18 WIB

JAKARTA (MKRI)—The Constitutional Court (MK) held a preliminary hearing of the judicial review of Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The petition No. 87/PUU-XX/2022 was filed by Leonardo Siahaan, who holds a law undergraduate degree. At the hearing presided over by Constitutional Justices Suhartoyo (chair), Wahiduddin Adams, and Enny Nurbaningsih, he asked for a reschedule.

“We will reschedule [the hearing] and the Court’s Registrar’s Office will summon [the litigants] again. This concludes today’s session,” Justice Suhartoyo said. The Petitioner argued that Article 240 paragraph (1) letter g of the Election Law was unconstitutional.

The Petitioner challenges Article 240 paragraph (1) letter g of the Election Law, which reads, “having not been criminally punished by a verdict of a court with a binding legal power due to committing a criminal act punished by incarceration of 5 (five) or more years, unless the individual openly and honestly announces to the public that they have served their time as a convict.”

He believes the provision, especially the phrase ‘unless the individual openly and honestly announces to the public that they have served their time as a convict,’ allows convicts who receive such sentences to for candidates for the House of Representatives (DPR) or the provincial/regency/city Regional Legislative Council (DPRD).

The provision, he argues, gives convicted corruptors whose political rights are revoked to run for the legislature, which represents the interests of the people. He believes such candidates, who lack integrity, will add to the problems in the parliament, both at the central and regional levels, because they will likely spread only transmit the seeds of corruption to other members of the legislature or they may repeat their corrupt practices or even encourage others to follow suit. 

Writer        : Sri Pujianti
Editor        : Nur R.
PR            : Raisa Ayudhita
Translator  : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 10/11/2022 20:22 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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